Introduction
For athletes, a foot crush injury can feel like a career-ending setback. At Performance One, we know how essential good training and physiotherapy are for staying in peak condition.
But no matter how prepared you are, no one can prevent accidents 100% of the time
Bad luck doesn’t just happen on the field. Foot crush injuries can occur anywhere—on the job, in a motor vehicle accident, or even from dropping something heavy at home. They often lead to fractures, severe bruising, or nerve damage, making recovery a real challenge.
Even the best-trained athletes aren’t immune. Just think about basketball legend Michael Jordan. A foot injury kept him out for 64 games during the 1985–86 season. Can you imagine how he felt at first?
Yet, with dedicated rehabilitation, M.J. made one of the greatest comebacks in sports history.
Are you going through rehabilitation and feeling frustrated or stuck? While you can’t always prevent accidents, recovering from a foot injury is possible.
If you’re searching for the best exercises for foot injury recovery to do at home, you’re in the right place. Let’s dive into how physical therapy for foot injury can reduce pain, restore mobility, and prevent long-term damage.
Understanding Foot Crush Injury
What is a foot crush injury? In simple words, it’s a type of broken foot condition. A foot crush injury happens when heavy pressure or weight damages the foot. This can involve bones, muscles, and soft tissue.
A foot crush injury means the damage can be severe. Fractures, torn tissue, and nerve injuries are common, often leading to extreme swelling and bruising. The pain and loss of mobility can make even simple movements feel impossible.
Worst cases require foot and ankle casts or walking crutches. This can be quite impeding—you get the picture.
Foot crush injuries need professional healthcare to manage pain, reduce swelling, and prevent further damage. But recovery doesn’t stop at the clinic.
With proper treatment, and at the right time, you can begin incorporating exercises to rebuild strength and movement. With the right guidance, you can continue rehabilitation from home.
Let’s look at some of the best foot injury rehabilitation exercises, and how to do them step by step at home.
Best Physiotherapy Exercises for Foot Crush Injury
Before we get started: Know that recovery takes time, and every step forward matters. None of these exercises should feel too stiff or painful. If that happens, don’t push through—stick with small movements.
Range of Motion Exercises
Regaining mobility is one of the first steps in foot rehabilitation. The goal of range of motion exercises is to gently reintroduce movement to the foot and ankle.
Especially at the start of rehabilitation, patience is everything. Begin slowly and follow your physiotherapist’s guidance. Over time, you’ll notice small wins, some improved flexibility here, some reduced stiffness there. All these will show you’re heading in the right direction.
Here are two foot mobility exercises to get you started:
Ankle circles
-
Sit comfortably in a chair, keeping your injured foot slightly elevated off the ground.
-
Slowly rotate your ankle in a circular motion, making small, controlled circles.
-
Complete 10 circles clockwise, then 10 counterclockwise.
Toe stretches
-
Sit in a chair with your foot flat on the ground.
-
Extend your toes upward, spreading them as wide as you comfortably can. Hold for 5 seconds.
-
Relax and repeat 10 times.
Extra Tip: As you progress, try gently gripping a towel with your toes to add a light strengthening challenge.
Strengthening Exercises
Progressively rebuilding strength in the foot and lower leg is also an important part of the foot crush injury rehabilitation process. It’s about regaining stability, balance, and confidence in your movements.
These strengthening exercises are designed to target the muscles and tendons that support your foot. To progress, you will gradually add resistance to build the strength needed for everyday activities.
Towel curls
-
Sit in a chair with your foot flat on the ground and place a small towel in front of you.
-
Using only your toes, grip the towel and scrunch it toward you.
-
Release and repeat 10–15 times on each foot.
Resistance band foot pushes
-
Sit on the floor or in a chair, and loop a resistance band around the ball of your injured foot. Hold the other end securely with your hands.
-
Push your foot forward against the band, extending it as far as you can without discomfort.
-
Slowly return to the starting position. Repeat 10–15 times.
Weight-Bearing Exercises
Once your foot has regained some strength and flexibility, it’s time to gradually reintroduce weight-bearing exercises. At this stage, exercises are a bit more demanding, yet we need to keep things smooth and progress as much as we can.
Weight-bearing exercises work by slowly loading the injured foot, which encourages bone and tissue repair while strengthening supporting muscles.
It’s the transition back to standing, walking, and eventually more advanced activities. So be sure to take these exercises one step at a time, literally, to avoid overloading your foot too soon.
Here are two foundational exercises to help you ease into weight-bearing rehabilitation:
Heel raises
-
Stand behind a sturdy chair, or hold to a wall for support.
-
Slowly lift your heels off the ground, rising onto your tiptoes
-
Hold for 2–3 seconds, then lower your heels back down gently.
-
Repeat 10–15 times, gradually increasing reps as your strength improves.
Standing foot presses
-
Stand next to a wall or use a chair for support.
-
Shift your weight slightly onto the injured foot, pressing it gently into the ground.
-
Hold for 5–10 seconds, then shift the weight back to your uninjured foot.
-
Repeat 10 times, gradually increasing the duration as your comfort and strength improve.
Stretching Exercises
Now comes the stretching part of foot injury rehabilitation. It’s essential to keep your muscles and tendons flexible, reduce stiffness, and improve overall foot mobility.
Stretching should feel gentle and relieving, never forced or painful. Gradual improvement is the goal, and consistency will help you see results over time.
Here are two stretching exercises we recommend for injured feet:
Calf stretches
-
Stand facing a wall and place your hands on it for support.
-
Step the uninjured foot forward while keeping the injured foot back, with both heels flat on the ground.
-
Lean forward slightly until you feel a stretch in the back of your lower leg.
-
Hold for 20–30 seconds, then relax. Repeat 2–3 times on each side.
Plantar fascia stretches
-
Sit in a chair and rest your injured foot on your opposite knee.
-
Use your hand to gently pull your toes back toward your shin until you feel a stretch along the sole of your foot.
-
Hold for 15–20 seconds, then release. Repeat 3–5 times.
Tips for Safe Exercise and Recovery
First things first: Always follow your doctor’s orders. Every injury is unique, and a physiotherapist’s guidance will ensure you’re on the right path.
Not sure who to consult? We’re here to help! Click the schedule your consultation button and let our expert physiotherapists guide your rehab journey.
Second tip here, while you might feel eager to jump back into your usual activities, rushing recovery can do more harm than good. To avoid setbacks or re-injury, it’s crucial to approach rehabilitation with care and patience.
Start slow and let your body guide you. Focus on controlled movements and increase intensity gradually as your strength improves.
With that said, here are other essential tips to keep in mind during your recovery journey:
The RICE Principle
Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation (RICE) are one of the most well-known tips for crush injury recovery. Here’s what you need to know about each step:
-
Rest: Learning how to rest can be challenging, but during foot crush injury recovery, this is your chance to master it!
-
Ice: Apply ice 3–4 times a day for no more than 15 minutes at a time. Overdoing it can have the opposite effect, so keep it brief to effectively reduce inflammation and pain.
-
Compression: Use an elastic bandage or wrap to apply gentle pressure to the injured area. Not too tight, not too loose. This helps manage swelling and provides support.
-
Elevation: Rest with your leg supported and elevated to relieve swelling and discomfort. Let gravity work in your favor to reduce fluid buildup.
If you’re new to RICE, check out our post on Soft Tissue Recovery for a full breakdown.
When to Seek Professional Help
If you’re experiencing persistent pain, swelling that won’t go down, or a lack of progress in your recovery, don’t ignore it. These could be signs that something isn’t healing as it should.
How long does it take for a foot crush injury to heal? It depends on the specifics—what type of tissue is injured, whether it’s a bone, muscle, or tendon.
For minor foot injuries, like certain ankle sprains, full recovery can take 2 to 3 months. As reported in the NIH, with proper rehabilitation, patients can experience significant improvement at the end of the first month.
For more serious injuries, such as fractures, healing times vary based on severity. It can take anywhere from 6 months to a year to reduce discomfort and stiffness while regaining strength and mobility.
The important thing to remember is that a foot crush injury isn’t just another bump or bruise—it requires professional care.
If left untreated or poorly managed, the consequences can last a lifetime. Chronic pain, mobility issues, and long-term damage to the bones, muscles, or nerves are all risks of avoiding proper treatment.
Conclusion
Maybe it was a car accident, a bad play in sports, or just an everyday mishap. No matter how it happened, the most important thing is to seek professional help.
Recovery from a foot crush injury takes time—it requires patience and progression. But here’s the good news: it’s absolutely possible.
If you’ve suffered a foot crush injury, we know it’s a tough road. But just like Michael Jordan wasn’t done after his injury, you’re not done either.
Not sure where to begin? If you are in Utah, Performance One has the best physiotherapists to help people like you get back on track. So schedule your consultation today and let’s get your foot crush injury rehabilitation started.